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Code Violation Solverby 360 Home Improvements · CBC1267336 · CCC1335340Call

What would a code officer notice?

Walk your property with a checklist of the things Florida code officers commonly look at. Mark each item OK or needs attention, and get what correcting it usually involves, the violation it falls under, and a copy you can print. It runs in your browser: nothing you mark is saved or sent anywhere.

Florida · general information

Have you had a notice or a courtesy letter for this property?
Is anyone living there?

Only shown on your printed copy. It stays on this page.

Walk the property and mark each item. Jump to your results

Yard and lot

Stand at the street, then walk the lot line and the back yard.

Grass and weeds
  • Grass or weeds noticeably taller than the rest of the street
  • Weeds in driveway and sidewalk cracks, along fences and around the house
  • The swale: the strip of grass between the sidewalk, or your lot line, and the street
Why code officers look at this

Many Florida cities set a maximum height for grass and weeds in their code, and in many of them it covers the swale in front of the lot too. The height differs from city to city, so check your city's code or the section cited on your notice.

Hedges, vines and trees
  • Branches or hedges hanging over the sidewalk or street, or blocking the view at the end of the driveway
  • Vines climbing the house, the fence or a utility pole
  • Dead trees, hanging limbs and dead palm fronds
Why code officers look at this

Growth over a sidewalk or street, and dead trees or limbs that could fall, are common reasons for a notice in Florida cities.

Yard waste and storm debris
  • Piles of branches, fronds, cut grass or leaves
  • Storm debris still out after the city's pickup
  • Old lumber, roofing, pavers or other building materials lying in the yard
Why code officers look at this

Debris and stored building materials are common reasons for a yard citation in Florida cities, and piles hide standing water and pests.

Items stored outside
  • Furniture, mattresses or appliances outside
  • Tires, car parts, scrap metal or buckets
  • Household items under tarps where they can be seen from the street
Why code officers look at this

Many Florida cities don't allow household items, appliances or junk to be kept where they can be seen from the street or a neighbor's property.

Standing water
  • Water sitting in buckets, planters, tires, boats or tarps
  • Clogged gutters, or a low spot that stays wet for days after rain
  • Containers and birdbaths that aren't emptied
Why code officers look at this

Standing water breeds mosquitoes, and many Florida cities treat it as a nuisance.

Pool

Skip this part if there is no pool. Mark both items “Doesn’t apply”.

Pool water
  • Green, cloudy or dark water
  • An empty pool, or a pool cover, collecting rainwater
  • Leaves, algae or debris sitting in the water
Why code officers look at this

An untended pool is standing water, and many Florida cities cite it, especially at empty or vacant homes.

Pool fence, screen enclosure and gates
  • Torn or missing screen panels, or gaps a child could get through
  • Gates that don't swing shut and latch on their own
  • A section taken down, or something next to the barrier that makes it easy to climb
Why code officers look at this

Under Florida's Residential Swimming Pool Safety Act (Chapter 515 of the Florida Statutes), a new home pool needs at least one approved safety feature, and a barrier is one of them. Where a barrier is used, its gates must open outward, away from the pool, and be self-closing with a self-latching device. Many local codes also require the barrier around a pool to be kept in working order. Check your city's code.

Vehicles, boats and carts

Anything parked or stored where it can be seen from the street.

Vehicles that don't run
  • A car with flat tires, missing parts or no current tag
  • A vehicle up on blocks, or under a cover for a long time
  • Cars parked on the grass
Why code officers look at this

Many Florida cities don't allow an inoperable or untagged vehicle to be kept where it can be seen, and some don't allow parking on the lawn.

Boats, RVs and trailers
  • A boat, RV, camper or trailer in the front yard or on the grass
  • One parked across the sidewalk
  • A boat or trailer that has sat unused under a tarp
Why code officers look at this

Many Florida cities limit where boats, RVs and trailers can be parked at a home, for example behind the front of the house or behind a fence. Homeowners' association rules are separate and can be stricter.

Trash and recycling carts
  • Carts left at the curb after collection day
  • Overflowing carts or loose bags
  • Carts kept where they face the street
Why code officers look at this

Many Florida cities set when carts can go out and come back in, and where they're kept between collections.

Outside of the house

Walk all the way around. Look up at the roof line as well as at eye level.

Roof and tarps
  • A tarp still up after a storm
  • Missing or loose shingles or tiles, or underlayment showing
  • A section that sags, or ceiling stains spreading inside
Why code officers look at this

Many Florida cities read a tarp that has been up a long time as damage that hasn't been repaired. Most roof work in Florida needs a permit and inspections.

Soffits, fascia, gutters and screens
  • Holes or missing panels in the soffit, the underside of the roof overhang
  • Rotted or loose fascia boards, or gutters hanging off
  • Torn window, door or porch screens
Why code officers look at this

Many Florida cities' property maintenance codes expect the outside of a house to be kept in good repair and weather-tight. Holes in the soffit also let in water and animals.

Paint, stucco and siding
  • Large areas of peeling or flaking paint, or bare wood
  • Cracked, loose or missing stucco
  • Rust stains or bulging around cracks in stucco or concrete
Why code officers look at this

Peeling paint and broken stucco are common “building in disrepair” items. Rust stains at a crack can mean the steel inside the concrete is rusting, which is worth having looked at.

Windows, doors and storm shutters
  • Broken glass, or windows boarded up
  • Doors that don't close or lock, especially on an empty house
  • Storm panels or shutters left up long after a storm
Why code officers look at this

Broken or boarded openings are common disrepair items, an open door on an empty house can bring its own notice, and some Florida cities limit how long storm shutters can stay up outside a storm.

Fences and garden walls
  • Leaning sections, broken boards or missing pickets
  • A gate that drags, hangs or won't close
  • Cracked or leaning masonry walls
Why code officers look at this

A fence or wall in disrepair is a common citation in Florida cities, and many cities require a permit to build or replace one.

Carports, porches, balconies, stairs and railings
  • A carport or porch roof that sags, or posts rusted at the base
  • Loose or missing railings, or steps that move
  • Cracked concrete with rusting steel showing on a balcony, column or walkway
Why code officers look at this

These are common unsafe-structure items. If something could fall or give way, keep people off it and away from it.

Sheds, enclosures and other additions
  • A shed, carport, screen room or enclosed porch you have no permit record for
  • A garage turned into a room
  • Windows, doors, a water heater or an AC unit replaced without a permit
Why code officers look at this

In Florida, most building, alteration and repair work needs a permit before it starts. Work done without one often comes to light through a code inspection for something else, a neighbor's report, or a permit search when the house is sold.

Street side

The driveway, the swale and the sidewalk in front of the house.

Driveway, swale and sidewalk
  • Broken, sunken or lifted concrete in the driveway or where it meets the street
  • Ruts or bare dirt in the swale from parked cars
  • Grass, roots or plants covering or lifting the sidewalk
Why code officers look at this

In many Florida cities the owner is expected to keep up the driveway, and often the swale, in front of the house. The swale and the sidewalk are usually in the public right-of-way, and work there often needs a permit from the city or county.

House number
  • Numbers missing, faded or hidden by plants
  • Numbers too small to read from the street
Why code officers look at this

Many Florida cities require the house number to be visible from the street so emergency crews can find the house. Your city sets the size and where it goes.

None of the 19 items checked yet.

Mark at least one item above. Anything marked “needs attention” is listed here with what correcting it usually involves and the violation page it falls under.

How this works

The checklist covers what code officers in Florida commonly look at from the street and the property line: the yard, standing water and pools, vehicles and storage, the outside of the house, and the street side. Each item says what to look for, why it gets cited, and what correcting it usually involves.

Every item you mark as needing attention is grouped under the violation it usually falls under, with a link to that page, and the request form opens with the most likely one selected. Items an owner can usually correct without a contractor are marked that way. Rules such as grass heights, vehicle parking and where boats can be kept are set city by city, so your city's code and any notice you have are what count.

It runs in your browser and nothing you enter is sent anywhere. It is general information about how code enforcement usually works in Florida, not legal advice. Your notice, your city or county’s code and the code office named on the notice are what count. For legal questions, talk to a Florida attorney.

Questions people ask

What do code officers usually look at on a Florida home?
It varies by city, but the usual items are grass and weeds, yard debris and junk, standing water and untended pools, vehicles that don't run, boats and trailers, trash carts, roof tarps, and the outside of the house: soffits, screens, paint, stucco, fences and railings. Your city's code sets the exact rules.
How tall can my grass be before I get a notice?
It depends on the city. Many Florida cities set a maximum height for grass and weeds in their code, and it often covers the swale too. Your notice, or your city's code, gives the number, so check your city's code rather than relying on a figure from somewhere else.
Can the city clean up my lot and bill me for it?
In many Florida cities, yes. After notice, a city can clear an overgrown lot itself and bill the owner, and depending on local rules the cost can be recorded as a lien. The rules and the notice period vary by city, so check your notice and ask the code enforcement office named on it.
Are homeowners' association rules the same as the city's code?
No. An association's rules are separate from the city's code and can be stricter. This checklist is about city and county code enforcement.
I already have a notice. Should I still use the checklist?
Yes, but start with what the notice lists, because the re-inspection checks those items. The checklist helps you catch anything else before the inspector comes back. Questions about your case go to the code enforcement office named on the notice.
Is anything I mark saved or sent anywhere?
No. The checklist runs in your browser and nothing is saved or sent. Print it if you want to keep a copy.

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